(1 November 2017, Mountain View, CA) ProQuest® Ebook Central has significantly enhanced its accessibility support to make content, including scholarly ebooks, easier to read and navigate, ensuring all researchers have equal access to its interface and content regardless of challenges, such as visual impairment.
Developed in collaboration with specialists and designed for AA conformance level to W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), Ebook Central promotes simplified access to all users with features such as:
- Formatted book content to be readable online and offline
- Certified for use with major screen readers (JAWS and VoiceOver)
- Browser magnification increasing the entire screen to make the content more visible
- Keyboard navigation so that pages can be negotiated without the use of a mouse
Patrons are empowered to turn on this functionality themselves with their screen reader – no librarian or tech support is needed – ensuring that students and researchers have convenient access to the tools they need for success, any time, and anywhere.
“Having access to ebooks is crucial to all researchers, but particularly important for those who are print disabled,” said James Scholes, an expert Accessibility Consultant and Software Developer who has worked with a variety of leading research information providers including Jisc and SAGE. “Having audited ProQuest’s Ebook Central platform, I’m delighted that it meets accessibility standards and offers a high degree of usability for those who are blind or partially sighted.”
“All researchers – regardless of ability – require access to scholarly information,” said Kevin Sayar, Senior Vice President and General Manager, ProQuest Books. “These enhancements will help more people access and use over a million titles on Ebook Central for learning, teaching and world-changing discoveries.”
With increasing legal mandates for accessibility in countries including the United States, Canada, the UK, and the European Union, ProQuest simplifies compliance with innovative functionality built directly into its platforms.
Learn more information about accessibility on Ebook Central.
The announcement is here.
